It rarely freezes in San Francisco, but boy, when it does . . . Grape Popsicle!

Here’s the story: in 1905, 11-year old Frank Epperson “was outside on his porch, mixing water with a powdered flavoring to make soda. Upon going inside, he left it there on the porch with the stirring stick still in it.  That night something that rarely ever happens in San Francisco happened: temps dipped below freezing! The following morning, Frank discovered the drink frozen to the stick.”—NPR July 22, 2015

Popsicles are now as much a part of summertime as, well, the sun! Who hasn’t sat on the steps hot afternoons slurping ice treats? Trying to catch the sweet syrup as it dripped down your hand. Or maybe you’ve made your own popsicles, the way we did. We used to fill ice cube trays with whatever sweet drink was on hand: cola, root beer, Kool aid, lemonade—and yes sometimes grape juice—stick in toothpicks for sticks and wha-lah!  What about you? What memories come to mind when you think of popsicles? What was your favorite flavor? Grape?

Poetry Challenge #141

Popsicle Daze

By way of bidding farewell to Ice Cream Truck season, write a Tongue Twister about Popsicles. A tongue twister is a phrase that’s hard to say multiple times in quick succession or sometimes even once.

ISally sells seashells by the sea shore and Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers are two tried trustworthy tongue twisters.

Tongue Twister Tips:

There are three key elements in the twistiest tongue twister: alliteration, consonance & confusion.

·         Alliteration: words that begin with the same-sound. Lucky Lucy liked_____tricky twisters twist ____.

·         Consonance: repeated consonants within a word or phrase. Think "pitter patter" “slippy splinter splitter”…

·         Confusion: Fool the rear’s eye (with misspellings like this) and trip up their tongue with consonant combinations that are almost the same, but not… as in soldier’s shoulder or chains clang. And change the endings of words—s ending are really slippery.

With these elements in mind, begin by brainstorming phrases that come to mind with you say grape or popsicle.

Listen . . . I think I hear the ice cream truck now!

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge cartoons of Popsicle BRAIN FREEZE ago. We take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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So, this one’s for Bucky!

Poetry Challenge #140

ARRRRROOOOO! for Rescue Dogs!

Write an ode to a rescue dog. An ode is short poem praising something. Think about what that rescue dog looks like, acts like, sounds like, anything that makes the dog special. Or maybe focus on that dog’s life before it was rescued.

You can write it to your dog friend if you want!

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

Along with writing an ode to rescue dogs, here are other ways to celebrate & share the “puppy love.” How’s about a big ARRRRROOOOOO Donny Osmond style! Here’s the link to Puppy Love

*Tails that Teach mission is to spread the word about how “rescue dogs become a part of the human family and increase awareness about the number of dogs in shelters.” Here are some ways you can help:

• Volunteer at your local shelter. Taking dogs for walks, grooming and giving them plenty of affection improves their socialization.
  

• Shelters always need donations. Financial donations are always welcome. Most shelters have a list of constant needs, such as blankets, bleach, toys, treats, and leashes.
  

• If there is room in your life for a rescue dog, consider adoption and giving one a forever home.
  

• Consider fostering. Many dogs abandoned to shelters require some medical care or rehabilitation in a home setting before an adoption can take place.
  

• Remember to spay and neuter your pets. Overpopulation is the number one reason shelters exist.

• Trick your old dog into thinking it’s new with treats like these vitamins from topdogvitamins.com

• Share your Ode to A Rescue Dog on social media, use #NationalRescueDogDay

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge countless dog years ago. We take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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And, every May 13th, in honor of Mark Twain’s first published short story, Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog (better known as The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County or The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County) folks have been celebrating frog jumping day.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, The longest frog jump record is “1.21 m (3 ft 11.64 in) and was achieved by Noa Möller (Sweden) at Palatset in Stockhom, Sweden, on 19 November 2011.” However, when I gave it a Google, the longest from jump on file is 21 feet, 5¾ inches, set by a bullfrog named Rosie the Ribeter in 1986. (If you, dear reader, can sort that record business out, keep us posted.)

Here’s what I know for sure: the 2026 Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee winner was 88-year-old Lillian Fasano, who won with a total jump of 19 feet, 2 and 1/4 inches using a frog named "Fuzzy.

Seeing a frog jump that far is surely the stuff of poetry!

Poetry Challenge #139

It Jumped How Far?

Let’s invoke the spirit of Mark Twain or Fuzzy by writing a hyperbolic poem about a long-high-far jumping frog, or a person who jumps like a frog, or a frog-jumping contest—creator’s choice.

Hyperbole means “gross exaggeration for effect” so we’re not talking tiny hops, make those frog JUMP!

See how many words for jump you can include in the poem. And don’t forget to add in a ribbit or three!

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just RIBBIT! (That means “do it!” in frog.)

Cindy Faughnan and I create began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge thousands of frog hops ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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“I love revisions...We can't go back and revise our lives but being allowed to go back and revise what we have written comes closest.”—Katherine Paterson.

Poetry Challenge #138

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change! 

One of the best things to do to make a poem better is revise it. That’s what this challenge is all about.

To begin: Choose one of your poems. Or, maybe: Choose someone else’s poem.

First, read your poem aloud. If it sounds good, reads well, great! Now try to make it even better by doing the following:

1. Can you replace weak words with more visual words? Words like “that” or “was” or “is” can usually be replaced with something stronger. Try to make every word count.

2. Listen to the sounds of each word. Is there a sound that’s repeated in your poem? Can you replace words to add more of that sound?

3. Read your poem very slowly. Pause at the end of each line. Is that the best word to end on? Play with your line lengths and with punctuation. Make readers read it the way you want them to.

4. Repeat these steps until you’re satisfied and then read the poem once more aloud.

Happy revising!

“Every success story is a tale of constant adaption, revision and change”—Sir Richard Branson

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge hundreds of revisions ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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If your answer to the second part was “I zipped up!” Then put on your party hat and let’s here it for Elias Howe!* the zipper inventor!

Elias Howe’s first zipper wasn’t called a zipper. When Howe filed his patent in 1851, it was for an “Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure.” But …Howe never tried to market or sell his invention, so it wasn’t until 42 year later when Whitcomb Judson patented a fastener similar to but not exactly the same called the “Clasp Locker.” Judson debuted his clasp locker at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. But… people were too zipped up at that time to fathom doing away with button hooks and laces, so nothing came of it.

Finally, in 1917, a fella who worked at the company Judson founded, Gideon Sundback invented the “Separable Fastener.” Folks like it, but…no one knew quite what to do with it. Apparently, the trouble was all in the name. It wasn’t until 1923 when B. F. Goodrich tried the danged zipper as a boot fastener and coined the name that stuck. Which brings us to our prompt.

Poetry Challenge #137

XYZ: Xamine Your ZZZipppppper!

Back in my school yard days, whenever a friend forgot to zip his or her pants, we’d call out with a helpful XYZ! Let’s begin by doing exactly that.

By design a zipper is “two facing-rows of teeth that pull into a single piece by the slider.”

In honor of that clever fabric joiner, the zipper (which, miraculously, can withstand incredible amounts of pressure before popping open), let’s choose two different sets of words and —zip them—into a poem.

Begin with two words. But, just as zipping a snug pair of jeans isn’t easy, let’s not make this poem come together too easily.

Choose two words that do not seem at all connected. For instance: Tire & Popcorn; Carnival & Pencil; Snow & Tabasco. You get the idea.‍ ‍

Write each word on one side of a paper. Now, BRAINSTORM, list 5 or more words that relate to each of those words.

Weave, link, fasten—ZIP these words together into a one poem. Extra points for physically arranging the poem into a zipper shape on the page.

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

Ready! Set! X.Y.Z.

*That zipper isn’t the only thing about those clothes for which we have good ole Elias to thank. He also invented the sewing machine. Without him, instead of a closets & drawers full of clothes to choose from, we might be scrounging around in hand-sewn sacks tied with string—zip it pontificator, stick to the subject!‍ ‍

Gives new meaning to the term “Zip it!”

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 8 YEARS ago! We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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If you can’t remember, then I only have one thing to say to you:

“It’s about time you did!”

Why? I’ll give you 4 reasons (if you don’t believe me, ask the Mayo Clinic.)

1. Lowers stress hormones

2. improves heart and immune functions

3. burns calories

4. makes you feel better

Now get this…

Maybe, along with picking & flicking, graham crackers, and “punch bug” laughing is something our kids can help us do more often. And we can help them too, by writing funny stuff.

Let’s give it a try with a little help from author Julie Hauswirth who decided to up the funny factor with the third annual #2026 KidLit Chuckle Challenge. *

Poetry Challenge #136.5

Chuckle Challenge

To begin, rewind to the child you used to be—the one who laughed 300 times a day—and think about what used to make you laugh.

Or if that child is too buried in grown-up gobbledygook, take a minute or two to watch kids at play. What makes kids laugh? Just about everything!

Next: look at this list I copied off the Chuckle Challenge page. It includes lots of ways to add humor to our writing.

Now: Think of some funny words. Or a funny situation. Or best, both.

Kick your adult to the curb, put your silly hat on a write a poem.

 Set your timer for 7 minutes

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

the #2026 Kidlit Chuckle Challenge contest is open from 8:00am central September 10th-10:00pm central September 13th. Consider this the practice round. Click the website link for contest rules and past winners poems.

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge thousands of chuckles ago! We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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Stop! Listen! What’s that Sound?‍ ‍Everybody look what’s flitting round! *‍ ‍

Birds! Hear them? See them?

If you don’t then find a quiet spot, outside or at a window, then… Look and listen!

With most human-made noises stilled and human activity slowed, Birds are everywhere! (Were they always everywhere and we were too busy to notice?) I’m noticing now!

There’s something therapeutic about watching birds flutter and flit about, calling to each other—especially now when we humans are trapped in our cages and the birds are free. For today’s post, let’s send our imaginations winging with the birds.

7-Minute Poetry Challenge #135

Bird Song Therapy

Position yourself in a quiet spot with your eyes and ears tuned to the world beyond your window and listen to the birds. What are they singing about? Are they greeting each other? Squabbling? Sharing news of the world—just learning to tweet?

See if you can track the bird songs to a specific bird or clump of birds. If not, close your eyes and imagine yourself amongst the birds.

Write a poem about what you’re seeing—and most especially hearing.

Incorporate the sounds and rhythm of the birds into your poem to make it sing!

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

*Stop Children by Buffalo Springfield Utube:

**For more “Bird Therapy in CoVid” click over to Audubon Alaska’s “Birdy Care Package” with glorious photographs, activities—for kid’s too—games & videos—complete with song…& bird poetry! Bird Poetry Corner features a new prompt each week.

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 8 YEARS ago! We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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‍ ‍

*Stop Children by Buffalo Springfield Utube:

‍ ‍

‍ ‍

Zoologically speaking, I’m a huge fan. If you’re response is “Boo to Zoo!” Have you been to a zoo lately?

Of the ones I’ve visited, and we seem to visit a lot, nowadays, most recently The San Diego Zoo, here’s what I’ve noticed: the animals in the zoo have not been captured ruthlessly. for the most part they are rescues. (Don’t believe me, read the signs.)

FYI: “The first modern zoo was established in the beauty of Vienna, Austria with the order of Emperor Francis I in 1752. It was created to viewing pleasure of the imperial family, but in 1765 it was extended to the public.”—via https://happydays365.org/zoo-lovers-day/national-zoo-lovers-day-april-8/.

While on the subject of the San Diego Zoo, one of the most interesting “Road Trip” books I’ve read is Lynda Rutledge’s West With Giraffe, non-fiction that reads like a novel.

What’s more animals are gorgeous, fascinating, interesting…all the ings.

Poetry Challenge #134

Access Your Inner Animal

Imagine you’re an animal at the zoo. (If you’re not a fan of the zoo, then for purposes of this prompt, channel Dr. Dolittle.)

Write a poem from that animal’s point-of-view. What does it see, think, feel? Who are its friends/enemies? When is dinner?

How would you describe the people looking at you?

What would you think they love based on the people they’re with or what they’re wearing or eating?

If you spoke the same language, what would you say to them?

For extra fun, see if you can’t use words that sound like your animal. Ssssay for instance, you are a python…

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

*This photo links to an article about the trip from NY to San Diego with the giraffes. Click: “How A Gift of Giraffes in 1938 Helped Make the San Diego Zoo.”

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 3600 days ago! We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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‍ ‍Who’s there?

Banana

Knock-Knock?

‍ ‍Who’s there?

Banana

Knock-Knock?

‍ ‍(Say it…)

‍ Orange! Orange you glad I didn’t say “banana”!

There! Now that I’ve got that out of my system, let’s get to prompting! Because it’s baseball season—including Women’s Pro Baseball!And my family has gone Baseball Crazy! this prompt was going to be about something that makes you crazy. But then I read this poem by Lauren Cook.*

Maybe because an orange is round like a baseball, and throws like a baseball, and I used to bring orange slices to my children’s baseball/softball games, I immediately changed my mind. Maybe…

Even writing that, I know I’m fibbing. I changed my mind because this poem touched me in the same way a favorite Billy Collins poem “Litany” does.

Poetry Challenge #133

Orange You Glad

Choose a fruit from the bowl below, or a vegetable (not pictured) and write a poem inspired in some way by that fruit.

What ever else you may do, make it juicy.

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

*Lauren’s poem flew into my inbox courtesy of Rattle Poetry. Rattle posts weekly prompts, a weekly poetry podcast (well worth your time), and contests. Check it out!

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 3600 days ago! We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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Let’s take it for a spin around the old noggin maze—with words!

Poetry Challenge #132

Little Red Wagons Get Rolling!‍ ‍

Norman has a little red wagon—that’s how he rolls! Bennett had one too. How about you?

Do you remember bumping along the street pulling a little red wagon? Or maybe, as my brother and his friends did, attaching the wagon to your dog’s leash and trying to get him/her to tow you?

If you had a Little Red Wagon who or what would you fill it with? Or, if you’re the passenger, who’d be pulling the wagon? And where would your adventuring take you? Imagine the rhythm of the wheels rolling along. What does it sound like? What does it feel like? 

Create a rhythmic Little Red Wagon poem by first creating a refrain evoking the sound and feel of the ride. See if you can use the refrain three times in your poem. * 

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 3000+++ days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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There is a time, time-time-time/

for every stage-stage-stage/

Of a poe-eeemmmmm/

a time to create/a time to write/

a time to revisit/a time to rhyme/

a time to delete/a time to combine . . .

Poetry Challenge #131

Working In a Poem Mine, Digging Down-Down-Down

Read through some of your older poems. Pick a line or phrase that you like from three different poems. Then put those lines in some sort of order and write a new poem. Add words or lines as needed. 

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Start revising!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

And, if you, like Mary Poppins, think a song will help the job along. Here goes (and forgive me Lee Dorsey):

Working in a Poem Mine/Digging way down-down/Working in a Poem Mine/Digging way down-down/Working in a Poem Mine—Yeah! I wrote some words down/Working in a Poem Mine . . .

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 3600++ days ago (who’s counting?). We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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Today, in honor of a guy who must have had a phobia about doctors, let’s spread the apple love!

Poetry Challenge #130
Ode to the Apple

In 1797, John Chapman traveled around sharing apple seeds, tending ailing orchards—spreading apple (and pear) love.

And maybe, thanks to him, the heirloom apple tree in my front yard is covered with teeny, tiny green apples.

Join me in writing an ode to the Apple:

Grab an apple, either an actual hold-it-in-your-hand-and-take-a-bite type, or tap into an apple memory to write a poem in praise of apples or Johnny Appleseed.

Choose a nice juicy apple

Set your timer for 7-Minutes

Ready! Set! Bite! . . . WRITE!

Don’t think about it too much—just do it! (If you share it #JohnnyAppleseedDay)

For more about Johnny Appleseed Day: click here.

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 3600 apples ago (If we ate an apple a day, that is.) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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Happy ?$&*#@ Grammar Day!

?$&*#@! No, that’s not swearing. It’s punctuation and symbols that tell us something. Grammar!

Are you’re a fan of the oxford comma, semi-colon, em-dash? Every been accused of going overboard on the exclamation points. Or maybe a few too many expletives deleted from your notes.

This is your lucky day!

Poetry Challenge #129

$%^&* Grammar!

Just this once, kick judicious punctuating to the curb!

Write a poem that uses as many kinds of punctuation as possible. Make your poem SHOUT!!  Make it whisper. Make it dance. Make it ask? and tell! and order the reader. Can you use commas, dashes, a semi-colon?

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Don’t think about it too much; just feel it!

Start writing!

If you are a punctuation junkie, click over to Poetry Box for some delightful punctuation poems by kids.

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 1400 days ago! (APPLAUSE!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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Because we all need a little magic!

And dang, who doesn’t want to be the star of their own fairy tale?

Poetry Challenge #128

Bippity Boopity POEM!

Do you remember the story of the Three Little Pigs? Goldilocks and the Three Bears? Hansel and Gretel? What’s your favorite story to tell?

Today, tell a fairy tale in the form of a poem with 7 syllables (or 7 words) on each line.

Can you tell a whole story in 7 lines? Can you do it in 7 minutes?

Set Your Timer for 7-minutes

Unsheathe Your Creativity Quill

Abra-kadabra!

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge so many moons ago! We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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(Birthdays, first teeth, last teeth…and all those firsts you are thinking right now.)

And the 250th Anniversary of the first Fourth of July.

When I was in school, a requirement for passing Government was being able to recite the Preamble to the Constitution. As we celebrate the Country’s 250th, it’s worth revisiting.

And now for the fireworks!

Why July 4th????

That’s the date in 1776, the Second Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, thus severing the 13 American colonies' political ties to Great Britain. In other words, declaring independence. It was a Thursday.

Poetry Challenge #127.5

Happy Birthday U.S.A

In honor, recognition, celebration of our country’s 250th Birthday, write a Fourth of July themed poem. It can be as patriotic or as hot dog and sparkler as you want. It can rhyme or not rhyme. It can be long, or not. The only thing your poem must do is include:

Red, White and Blue!

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 8 Fourth of Julys ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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Relax, this is not an invitation to visit/revisit the analyst’s couch. But, yes, we are going to go all touchy feely, so get out one of your already written poems, and let’s get down to the nitty gritty:

Poetry Challenge #127

Tell Me How it Feels, How it Really Really Feels?

Poetry often deals with emotions: how we feel, what emotions an incident evokes, and too, how words—the placement of words, word choices/combinations—make us feel. But now, today, let’s go beyond those feeling and get really touchy feely.

Take out one of your already written poems. Don’t spend more than 30 seconds of your 7 minutes choosing—it’s not really about that poem, this challenge is about what feelings can do to/for that poem.

When writing, we often focus on describing things through dialogue and action. We also often set the scene by describing what can be seen in a seen. However, we often overlook the physical, even though our tactile memories are strongest and reactions evoked shared.

Try “chewing glass” for example.

Reread your poem, and ask yourself “What does it feel like?” And by “feel” think literally: What does each image actually feel like? Is it rough? Squishy? Smooth? Glassy or sandy? Does it slosh?

Try changing/adding feeling words to that image to conjure those tactile feelings.

If your poem doesn’t seem to have a tactile feeling to it, can you add one? Even more, try adding a tactile feeling to every line.

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Don’t think about it too much; just feel it!

Start writing!

Now reread your poem. How does it feel, now?

Take a listen: Feelings sung by Morris Albert

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 3600 days ago! (APPLAUSE!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or the whole poem in the comments.

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Today it was the news…(isn’t it always???). Gratefully, thankfully, I was saved by Burt Bacharach! Sing it Dionne . . .

What the world need now is love, sweet love, it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of . . .

Poetry Challenge #126

What the World Needs Now

Let’s write a love note to the world in the poetic form called “Tendi.”

A Tendi is a poem made up of four-line stanzas, originating from the Swahili poetry of East Africa. (Here’s more about Tendi.)

A Tendi is usually written with an aaab rhyme scheme, meaning the first three lines rhyme, while the final line establishes a recurring end-rhyme that ties the entire poem together.

Usually that fourth line is repeated at the end of each stanza. If it changes, the end rhyme remains.

Since we are writing a LOVE-LOVE-LOVE Tendi, why not use candy hearts as inspiration for that last line?

I love you very much.

My heart belongs to you.

You are so very sweet.

See if you can’t write a three stanza tendi. Then, if you dare, send it to someone!

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

The Song: I’d Like to Build the World a Home

The Movie: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 3500 days ago (who’s counting?). We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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So far, no meatballs . . .

Obviously, the weather forecasters have gotten it wrong. Let’s see if we can do better!

Poetry Challenge #125

Cloudy with a Chance of . . .

Write a weather forecast poem.

To begin, fill in the blanks:

______________ with a chance of _________________

Write your poem in a Weatherperson’s voice (or channel Anchorman’s Ron Burgundy). Make your forecast factual or fantastical—creator’s choice!

Liberally sprinkle your poem with weather terms.

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

Start writing!

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 8 years ago (who’s counting?). We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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A-B-C

1-2-3

Baby, You and Me . . .

Keep tapping those tootsies as we wind up for a real riddler of a prompt:

Poetry Challenge #124

Alphabet Riddle Poems Easy as ABC

Many forms of poetry are like puzzles—you try to fit the right words into a certain order or have the right number of beats/syllables on each line. Here are four poetry puzzles. Choose one to solve today and come back to this when you’re stuck for a topic some other day. 

1. Can you use every letter of the alphabet in a poem? The letter can appear anywhere in the word and can be in any order.

2. For the next puzzle, you need to use a word starting with each letter of the alphabet in order. You can add other words between your words to help your poem make sense.

3. How about starting each line with a letter of the alphabet? How long a poem can you make that makes some sense?

4. Pick one letter. Can you write a poem using twenty words that begin with that letter?

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

Start writing!

Alphabet Riddlers Playlist:

ABC by the Jackson Five

Alphabet Song

L.O.V.E. by Bert Kaempfert with lyrics by Milt Gabler

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge back in the before time. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. (This one is Cindy’s.) If you join us by writing a poem, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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Icon! Diva! Pop Idol!…personal role model Cher is 80! (Her birthday was May 20, 1946.) All my life, she has been there—loud, alive, unappologetic! And dang, at 80 still rockin’!

Cher looks as fabulous as she does because she has had a little help. She doesn’t hide it, even jokes about having had rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, a facelift, braces, along with “regular Botox, dermal fillers, and facial fat grafting.” But those abs! That stamina! That voice!

Best yet, Cher has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, Kennedy Center Honors, Cannes Best Actress, Golden Globe for Supporting Actress, Golden Globe for Television Series, Golden Globe for Best Actress, Billboard Icon Award, Donatello for Best Foreign Actress, 17 Top-10 singles (12 as a solo)… and so many more!

If you ask me, she didn’t only sing “If I could turn back time…” she did it!

If Cher can reverse time, so can we…if only with our words! Let’s try!

Poetry Challenge #123.5

Reverso

A reverse poem (Reverso)is a poem that conveys two contrasting meanings when read from top to bottom and then from bottom to top. The meaning of the poem changes but it needs to make sense whichever direction you read. Or, as Marilyn Singer, a Reverso Masteroso put it:

“A reverso is a poem with two halves. In a reverso, the second half reverses the lines from the first half, with changes only in punctuation and capitalization — and it has to say something completely different from the first half.”

Here’s an example of Marilyn Singer’s reverso poem, aptly named “In Reverse” from her picture book collection of fairy tale reverso’s Mirror Mirror.

1. Choose a theme or topic.

2. Write a short, simple poem. (short and simple because we don’t have much time, say 3 to 5 lines)

Rewrite the poem backwards. For instance, if you begin with a 3 line poem: 1-2-3, then line 4 will repeat line 3, 5 will repeat 2, 6 will repeat line 1. Like this: 1-2-3-3-2-1

Here’s the tricky/fun part: rework the punctuation, capitalization, etc. to give the second half a different meaning.

(You might want to write on paper so you can cut the lines up and rearrange them easily.)

Ready????

Set your timer for 7 minutes

Don’t think about it too much; just do it!

Start writing!

And when you’re finished, click on the video and dance Like it’s 1999!…Like Nobody’s Watching! …Like Cher!

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 8 years ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

Click on Fishbowl link below and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):

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